General Geology : Common Base L1: Natural and Life Sciences 1st year

Abstract

Geology is the science that aims to study: (1) The nature, distribution, and organization of materials on the Earth's surface. (2) The phenomena responsible for their formation, arrangement, and evolution. (3) Their history. Therefore, it is the science that deals with the composition, structure, history, and evolution of the Earth's outer and inner layers, as well as the processes that shape it. Fundamental geology comprises numerous scientific disciplines. For example: Crystallography: It is the study of the properties, particularly geometric, of the crystalline state of matter. Mineralogy: It is the study of the composition and physicochemical properties of minerals. Petrography: It is the study and classification of rocks. Petrography is distinguished between sedimentary rock petrography, igneous rock petrography, and metamorphic rock petrography. Petrology: It is the study of rock genesis. Exogenous petrology refers to the study of sedimentary rocks, while endogenous petrology focuses on igneous and metamorphic rocks. Volcanology: It studies the structure, formation, and evolution of volcanoes. Sedimentology: It studies sediment deposition processes and the genesis of sedimentary rocks. Pedology: This discipline studies the characteristics and formation of soils, particularly from morphological and physicochemical viewpoints. Stratigraphy: It studies the succession of deposits and sedimentary layers to reconstruct successive paleogeography’s. Geochronology: It enables the determination of a rock's age through physical methods. Paleontology: It studies fossilized animal (paleozoology) or plant (paleobotany) life: description, classification, evolution, extinction, ecology (paleoecology). Tectonics: It studies the deformations of the Earth's crust and their genesis. Geophysics: It is the study of the physical properties of the globe (such as magnetic field, gravity field, and seismic waves) to understand its structure and movements. Geochemistry: It studies the distribution of elements and the laws governing their chemical behavior in minerals, rocks, and various layers of the Earth. Geodynamics: It studies major geological processes, both external (erosion) and internal (seismic activity).